Saturday, July 13, 2013

Dead Serbs Part 1

I thought it might be fun to look into the history of the people whose portraits grace the local currency. We'll start with the ridiculous 10 dinar note, which is worth slightly less than a dime. The dude rocking the sweet cravate and the porn stache is Vuk Stefanović Karadžić (cyrillic Вук Стефановић Караџић) 1787-1864. He was a philoloigist (the study of language from historical sources) considered to be the major reformer of the Serbian language. He is also celebrated for his collections of songs, fairy tales, and riddles, and is known in some circles as the father of Serbian folklore.

According to his Wikipedia page he is also noteworthy for introducing "a rich terminology on body parts (from head to toes) into the literary language." I have no idea what that means. Maybe I can ask my colleagues on Monday.